Session 21
The group spent the night beside the Signal Tower as it seemed safe with all the Reikland troops. Those on watch saw the troops slowly take care of the dead and then dig trenches around the tower. In the morning before departing Seigbert asked the Captain for a letter to help them when they arrived in Wittgendorf. Unable to promise much as it was out of his jurisdiction, Captain Reich still wrote them a recommendation that the group were after Etelka and that she was likely a dangerous individual. Setting off down river the stopped in Worlitz and chose to spend an extra day there to fix the rudder. Although they lost a days travel time they were fortunate enough to sell all of their wool for 60 gold and pick up supplies and new weapons and armour. Seigward visited the temple of Sigmar and sought advice from a green-gilled acolyte no older than 12 summers. The boy had no clue how to help Seigward but thanked him for his donation and gave him a wooden hammer pendant which Siegward added to his necklace. Ava, Herbert and Erik all got seeing to the local physician though some came away better healed than others. While in the market Herbert felt a tug on his hair and realised someone had cut a piece away. Worried, he began to contemplate shaving his head. That night Seigward had a dream of a dilapidated temple of Sigmar. As he approached the doors a ghoulish beast burst forth and woke him from his sleep. Terrified he spent the rest of the early hours on a chair getting some shut eye that he could. In the morning the final repairs were done to the rudder and the group set off. They crossed a barge and warned their fellow travellers of the events at the Signal Tower. As thanks the boatman shared with them that Karl Franz was supposed to be at the Nuln festival but didn't attend due to sickness. He also had his son Lutipold move to Castle Reikguard for 'protection'. Rumour has it the declaration about mutants is because Lutipold himself is a mutant and that's why he's being held at Castle Reikguard. Continuing on the group stop at Diesdorf and catch up with the latest gossip. The barkeep of the 32 Candles recommends Kemperbad as a lovely destination for the group, unaware they are banned from it. Several more days travel the group make their way to Wittgendorf. The only thing of note along the way is a mutants corpse that bumps into the barge in the night. Seigward and Herbert inspect it before tossing it back. As the approach Wittgendorf the group come clean to Dumpling at the behest of Renate. The inform the halfing that they are hunting her old mistress and tell her about her mistresses misdeeds. Faced with the evidence, Renate's backing(and some god tier rolls) the group convince Dumpling her old employer is up to no good. She is lost for words, not sure what to do with her life. Seigbert offers her pay, like Renate, to continue to work on the barge. She happily accepts. As the group arrive in Wittgendorf the wharf is painfully empty. Only one beggar is there and pleads with the group for food as they dock. As Ava gives him food he moves in for a hug but Siegward pushes him back with a warning telling him to get inside. The beggar thanks them again though says he won't go inside least the dogs eat him. Listening in to the nearest building Siegward hears the growls of feral beasts. The group press on into town looking for signs of life and find a group gathered around guards and a lady on horseback. In front of the lady is a man with a bloody stump for and arm and a young lad pleading with the lady not to take his father. As the guards reach for the armless man the boy pleads with the group for help but his cries fall on deaf ears as they suspect his father of theft. As the boy pleads more one of the guards skewers him with his sword to cease his baying. The group are taken aback as the lady stares at each of them. She then turns her horse and leaves with the guard and old one armed man. The group are approached by the peasants, desperate for food. Ava casts magic and summons forth two small rabbits that hop off in different directions cause the peasants to disperse. They head to the nearest tavern where Seigbert pays the man silver for a room. At seeing this amount of coin he shoos his other tenants out of the building proclaiming this a private inn. After seeing that everyone is drinking Rotgut the group agree not to sample it. From there they set off with an idea of visiting the temple of Sigmar and the physician. They pass a woman with several chickens fending off desperate beggars. Thanks to Seigward they disperse and she aggressively asks if he's a guard of the Wittgendorfs. He denies it and she just stares at him before departing with a chickens neck in her mouth. The group continue to the temple of Sigmar and Seigward realises this is the temple of his dreams. Inside they find an alter with a key and a statue of Sigmar. After Seigbert inspects the statue he finds the arm is a lever and the alter begins to descend. The group besides Herbert, head down into the depths below. There they find inscriptions of the temples founder, and ancient warrior, Seigfried Von Kesselring, who defended the temple from beastmen led by a warrior of chaos named Ulfhednar the Destroyer. The also find a piece of scripture that Ava reads aloud causing the torches to brighten. The statue of Sigmar asks the group if they will defend his lands and as Seigward confirms it the statue blesses him and Ava. In the rest of the underground they find various records in a library, a kitchen that has been ransack and an entrance to catacombs from an embalming room. While Seigbert and Ava pour over the documents Seigward inspects the catacombs. There he finds various corpses have been gnawed upon and all the graves have been disturbed except one mausoleum. The inscription reading that this is the tomb of Seigfried Von Kesselring. The group agree it's too early to start grave robbing and spend some hours pouring over records. They discover this land was once bountiful but that Dagmar Von Wittgenstein brought back a large metal box one year and since then the town has slowly deteriorated. Bit by bit, crops died, mutations appears and the weather worsened. Leaving the temple the group found it was night time and pouring rain. Stopping at the inn to inform the innkeeper they would be staying in their barge Seigward questions why the graves were dug up. The barkeep, Herbert Marcuse, pleads with Seigward not to be angry but the townsfolk grow hungry. Many in the inn confess it wasn't them but other more depraved townsfolk that likely have committed these heinous crimes. He nods knowingly and leaves warning him that the chicken woman knows he stole one of her chickens. Marcuse looks alarmed at this news and ushers everyone out of his inn. The group make their way back to the docks in the rain only to find the wharf empty and their boat gone!